USML 40

Chapter 40

“Ah! You startled me!” I clutched my chest and hunched my shoulders in surprise.

A man with an oval-shaped beard following the shape of his lips flashed a sleazy smile across his face and twitched his nose.
“Came alone?”

He had a blank, half-lidded gaze, showing no excitement. The man shifted his weight to one leg and jiggled the other, swaying back and forth.
“Sorry, but I already have company.”
“Ah, looks like you’re alone to me.”

…Seriously, I wanted to pull out all his hair. The man crossed his arms and then wore a confident, smug smile.
“Fine. I’ll make an exception and play with you—just for today.”
“What are you saying?”

I scoffed and casually turned my head—and then, in the distance, I saw a fluffy dog bounding toward me.

Why is a dog here?

“Woof!”

The dog sprinted forward and, like a knight, positioned itself in front of me, growling low. It clearly seemed wary of the man.

I bent my knees slightly, met the dog’s gaze, and brushed my hair out of my face.
“Did you follow me?”
“Woof woof!”

The dog’s black eyes shone with moisture as it sniffed with its damp nose. Did it really track me by scent? My goodness, how adorable.

“What if you get lost?” I said, though I happily patted its head, my heart swelling with joy.

The man made strange laughing sounds—“Pa! Cha! Ha!”—while holding his waist. So he still hadn’t left.
“You’re so bored you’re playing with a dog? I’ll play with you!”
“Grr.”

The dog looked at the man and suddenly wrinkled its nose in a threatening manner.

Ignoring the dog’s warning, the man stepped closer to me.
“Come, let’s enjoy some—agh!”

The dog growled like an engine starting, then opened its mouth wide as if roaring like a lion. It leapt into the air, drooling as it bit the man’s protruding backside.

“Ahhh!”

What’s happening…? I froze, my mouth slowly opening at the bizarre scene.
“This… this dog! Let go, you!”
“Yip! Yip!”

The man jumped up and flailed his hands backward, but sadly, he couldn’t reach the dog.

The dog held on stubbornly, shaking with the man’s movements but refusing to let go.

Passersby began stopping, watching as if a live show were unfolding—the odd sight of a dog biting a man’s rear. Soon, a crowd formed, encircling us.

“What on earth is that?”
“The dog bit his butt?! What’s wrong with this guy?”
“Tch, tch. At least it didn’t bite the front.”

As murmurs increased, a familiar voice called out:
“Dad, over there!”

“Evan…?”

Evan stood among the crowd, a head taller than most, holding a child in one arm. He narrowed his eyes at me, then moved through the crowd toward us.

Even without being asked, people parted for Evan, captivated by him.

Whispers spread around.
“Wow. Cheating on this handsome husband?”
“His eyes are off, totally off.”

No, it’s not cheating!

In an instant, I’d become the scandalous woman cheating on my handsome husband with a child nearby. I opened my mouth wide in frustration, silently sending Evan a plea for help.
“E-Ero… help me…”

Evan glanced around, assessing the situation, then let a shadow of disappointment fall across his face, a deep sigh escaping as if saying, You went alone for this…?

“…Excuse me?” I shot my eyes open.

The child shook its head as if to say I can’t be helped, patting Evan’s shoulder for reassurance.
“You’re right, yes, right.”
“Totally off!”

Sympathy for Evan started circulating. What is this feeling—being turned into the world’s most infamous scoundrel over a fleeting misunderstanding?

Looking back, I had no room to argue. It was all self-inflicted.

“Help me! Aaah! Help!”

Even as I exhaled in resignation, the man’s screams from the dog’s bite pierced my ears.

The dog still held onto the man’s rear, refusing to let go. I didn’t care about the man’s backside, but the dog… soon its eyes would start spinning in spirals.

“Alright, good boy. Come on, stop, come here.”

I reached toward the dog, but it was far harder to grab than expected. Every time I got close, it slipped away, and I flailed my hands helplessly in the air.

“Stay still!”
“I’m gonna die here!”

If only the man hadn’t moved, I would’ve caught the dog already. I glanced around desperately and caught Evan’s eye.
“Evan, come help me!”

Evan blinked lazily, holding the child, showing no intent to move. Me? Why? was written all over his face.

“Evan…”

Reading my frustrated expression, he sighed shallowly, as if saying I can’t help you.

Snap.

He flicked his fingers, creating a dull snapping sound, and the dog immediately released the man’s rear, landing steadily on the ground.

“Woof!”
“My… apple hips…”

The man collapsed, tears streaming down his face as he rubbed his backside.

The dog turned sharply, stretched its short legs, and walked elegantly toward Evan, pushing out its chest and exhaling proudly.

“Woof!”

It looked utterly satisfied, as if completing a grand mission.

Evan bent one knee to meet the dog’s eye level. For a while, their gaze held a silent, unspoken connection. Then Evan smoothed a corner of his mouth into a satisfied smile and patted the dog’s head.
“Well done.”
“Woof!”

Well, done, my foot!

“Daddy, here you are!”

Fortunately, the child had found their parents.

While I had been looking for them, the parents had reached the place where the child was lost. The child refused to leave Evan, so they first looked for me.

“No! That’s not my dad!”
“Oh my, what’s going on?”

The mother grabbed the child’s waist, lifting them briefly into the air. The child flailed like swimming to break free.
“No! No!”
“Stay still!”

The child clung stubbornly to Evan’s shirt, stretching it like a rubber band. This is ‘Danbi’s!’

“Why are you like this?”
“My dad’s here!”

“Lili, it’s Dad. Look how much he searched for you…”

The father reached out with trembling hands, face distressed.
“I bought you lots of candy and I’m handsome too, so this is my dad!”

The child snorted, turning their face away. The father’s shoulders slumped, gloom settling over him.

The dog circled the father, offering comfort. The mother apologized repeatedly.
“I’m so sorry, the child is so stubborn.”
“It’s fine.”

After all, the child was safely in the arms of a young, rich, and handsome man—hard not to understand.

Evan handed the fox mask to the child.
“Let’s go before the parents get too sad.”

The child squinted one eye slowly, then back up.
“Am I… getting it?”
“Yes.”

Evan patted the child’s head lazily. The child rubbed their head against his hand.
“I don’t want to…”

Receiving the mask reluctantly, the child glanced around, then finally locked eyes with their father. The father was drenched in sweat—proof of how worried he had been.

“Did you search for me?”
“Of course!”
“Obviously!”

The child made a shy, exaggerated nod.
“Alright! I’ll let my dad do it!”

The child’s pout melted, reaching out to their father.
“Thanks, Lili! I won’t do that again!”
“Mm-hm!”

Tears in his eyes, the father embraced the child. The child had likely worried to confirm their parents’ love. Not the best way, but… effective.

“Bye, sister! Bye, brother!”
“Woof! Woof!”

Soon, the child, wearing the fox mask, held each parent’s hand and disappeared. The white, fluffy dog followed closely behind.

“Goodbye.” I waved, smiling warmly. Evan stood next to me, hands clasped behind his back.

“That was fortunate.”
“For what?”
“The child found their parents.”

We watched silently as the child became a dot in the distance.

“And you?”
“Huh?”

I gave him a puzzled look. Evan lazily blinked and turned his face toward me.
“Have you found the man who will make you forget your first love?”

…Out of nowhere. Maybe it didn’t matter anymore, since he already knew how I felt.

I closed my mouth tightly, staring into his abyss-like eyes. Amidst the passing crowd, it felt like it was just the two of us.

Perhaps because of that atmosphere, I couldn’t help but speak.
“You do know who my first love is, right?”

Evan twitched his eyebrow, looking displeased.
“Do I need to know that too?”

I shrugged nonchalantly. I had been used because of my first love—so…
“So who is that damn guy?”

A low, menacing growl cut through.

…It’s you. You. I stared at Evan in disbelief. Unlike me, he looked utterly serious.